Advantages of Urethane Castings vs. Injection Molding

January 24, 2023

Advantages of Urethane Castings vs. Injection MoldingUrethane castings provide a cost-effective alternative to injection molding. Urethane castings are used to produce rigid and flexible plastic parts similar in quality to injection molding parts. While not suitable for use in large production runs like injection molding, urethane castings are ideally suited for prototyping and small and medium production runs.

What Are Some of the Advantages of Urethane Castings?

In addition to the lower tooling costs, urethane castings can provide many advantages over injection molding. Urethane castings have an extremely fast turnaround compared to injection molding and other processes. There are many production materials to choose from, ranging from rigid and impact resistant to soft and flexible materials. A wide range of colors, textures, and finishes, including high-polished, grained, brushed, leather grain, and textiles are available.

Urethane castings can achieve geometries impossible for injection-molded parts. In a lot of instances, urethane cast parts are indistinguishable from injection molded parts with similar strength and durability properties.

Urethane castings are used in a number of applications, including:

  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Low To Medium Production Runs
  • Pre-Production Runs
  • Lower-Volume Manufacturing
  • Consumer Products
  • Concept Models
  • Sales Samples
  • Scale Models
  • Automotive Parts
  • Medical Devices
  • Consumer Testing
  • Aircraft Interior Components
  • Marketing Test Samples
  • Test Prototyping

The Urethane Casting Process

The urethane casting process is similar to the injection molding process. A 3D printer is used to produce a master part/pattern based on a digital design. Once this master part/pattern has been inspected and finished it will be placed in liquid silicone to create the mold. After the silicone has been allowed to cure, the mold is halved and the master part/pattern is removed. The void created by the master part/pattern is used for the casting of extremely accurate and detailed duplicates of the master pattern.

Urethane Castings in Houston, TX

ProTek Models is one of Houston’s leading producers of high-quality urethane castings. Our team of engineers has many years of experience when it comes to making master patterns, silicone molds, and castings for a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, defense, OEM, oil and gas, and more. They work closely with our customers to ensure the end results fully meet your specifications, deadline, and budget. The entire process is handled in-house, from printing and finishing the master part/pattern to creating the silicone molds to casting the parts.

ProTek Models is located just north of Houston in Conroe, TX, and serves customers all over the Lone Star state. In addition to high-quality urethane castings, our services include state-of-the-art SLA and FDM 3D print production, rapid prototyping, and custom scale model building. Some of our clients include Boeing, Mitsubishi, NASA, the US Air Force, Oceaneering, South Coast Customs, Lockheed-Martin, and Saleen Automotive.

With our talented staff, years of experience, state-of-the-art machinery, and high-quality materials, there is almost no urethane casting project we can’t handle. Contact us through our website or call ProTek Models at (832) 968-6636 to get a quote or learn more about our urethane castings in Houston, TX.